A Palo Alto woman who “loved the outdoors” died last week after falling off a rock formation in Arizona while hiking with her husband and daughter.

Carol Hyde, 53, was hiking on April 2 near Devil’s Bridge, a popular climbing destination in the Sedona area known for its views, when she lost her footing and fell about 75 feet, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said.

“It’s very popular, it’s a fairly rugged hike once you get into the area around the bridge,” D’Evelyn said. “The dangerous portion is where you hike around the bridge itself.”

Hyde was standing on a section of the sandstone bridge, watching her husband take a picture of their daughter, when she slipped and fell, D’Evelyn said.

Sedona Fire District emergency crews were called to the scene at about 12:30 p.m. and tried to treat her before carrying her in a rescue basket almost three-quarters of a mile to an awaiting off-road vehicle, D’Evelyn said. Hyde was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center, where she died later that day, D’Evelyn said.

He said the hospital drive was “30-plus” miles so “it did end up taking a little time.” While people who sustain critical injuries in off-road terrain are typically transported to the hospital by air, heavy winds made it too dangerous for a helicopter to safely respond, D’Evelyn said.

When the weather is good and hikers abound, the county does about two rescue missions around the Devil’s Bridge area a week, D’Evelyn said, adding that he doesn’t recall anyone having died in recent years.

Carol Hyde was a “really caring, loving woman who did everything for her family and loved her time with family and friends,” said good friend Julie Bitler, also a Palo Alto resident. Bitler said Hyde was born and raised in Palo Alto.

“She loved the outdoors, she loved hiking with her family,” Bitler said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

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